DETROIT, MI -- In Detroit, there are thousands of houses on the brink of no return. They're abandoned, but not always without hope, should the right person come along.

But a single spark could, and often does, obliterate that thread of hope in a matter of minutes.

Detroit's arson problems is far from dead. The online Detroit fire dispatch is one of the most active and popular feeds on the website Broadcastify, which specializes in streaming emergency radio communications.

If you look at the numbers alone, things seem to be improving. The number of arson fires in Detroit was 958 in 2011, dropped nearly 40 percent to 562 in 2012 and was listed at 3 arson fires midway through 2013, based on Federal of Bureau of investigation statistics.

Obviously, that data is flawed. Detroit has more than three arson fires nearly every day.

According to arrest statistics, police made arrests if 5.9 percent, 57, of the 958 arson fires in 2011.

An attendee at the Detroit Policy Conference Thursday asked Detroit Police Chief James Craig, a panelist discussing neighborhood renewal, about the arson problem in the city and what's being done to confront it.

Craig said, unfortunately, arson has "historically been part of the Detroit culture."

But, "how many prosecutions do you have," he asked. The Detroit Fire Department is responsible for investigating arson. The Detroit Fire Department communications office on Thursday said it could not immediately provide a 2013 arson numbers, or the number that have been solved.

A representative said MLive would have to submit a Freedom of Information Act Request to be processed by the Detroit Law Department in order to obtain that data.

No matter what the figure is, it's actually probably much higher. Fires that are initially deemed "suspicious" are not always followed up on due to a lack of arson investigators. Unless there is an official investigation that determines arson to be the cause, it remains classified as "suspicious" and in arson limbo.

Regarding policing and punishment of arsonists, Craig said: "The status quo has been alive and well. It hasn't worked really good."

Craig said in previous departments he's worked at -- including Los Angeles and Cincinnati -- police investigators handled arson investigation.

"Maybe that's something we can talk about later," Craig said.

Craig expressed concern about the number of outstanding warrants for arson suspects. "Arsonists like some of these other violent predators are repeat offenders,"he said.

The chief said he is in discussions with new Fire Commissioner Jonathan Jackson to address the problem and two agencies are working together.

Jackson denied a request from MLive to speak with him about the general state of the department about two weeks ago. He did not provide a reason for the denial.

Craig also expressed concern about multiple situations in which police investigating a fire scene after firefighters extinguished a blaze found dead bodies.